A new spam control system has been recently implemented by Information Technology and Communications for all electronic mail accounts on the University's Central Mail Service.
The system, designed by IronPort Systems of California, will offer an unprecedented level of spam blocking at the University and allow Central Mail Service users to set their own personal levels of spam-stopping stringency.
According to James Hilton, vice president and information officer of ITC, the IronPort spam software was purchased in response to the ever-increasing levels of spam and the declining effectiveness of current spam-prevention solutions. Hilton also noted that IronPort lowers the chance of "real" e-mails being misidentified as spam by the anti-spam system.
"At least in my experience, the performance of this new system is dramatically better," Hilton said. "Even with the default setting, I don't have to worry about what might be spam or what is not spam."
Liz Landis, director of public relations at IronPort, said IronPort offers a "multilayered defense against spam," blocking possibly harmful or harassing e-mails with a "series of unique spam-stopping filters."
IronPort anti-spam software, according to Landis, analyzes incoming e-mails and submits them to a thorough filter review. First, a "sender reputation" filter checks the sender of any e-mail. Then, the Context Adaptive Scanning Engine examines the context of the message. Once an e-mail goes through these filters, it generates a combined spam score, which indicates the likelihood that the e-mail is spam.
"Spam is a constantly evolving problem," Landis said. "First, it was easy -- an e-mail would say 'Viagra,' or 'sex'
Read More
U.Va. loses over $60 million in federal research cuts
By Bertie Azqueta | 20 hours agoThe impacted grants include three from the NIH, seven from the NEH, one from the United States Agency for International Development and four from the State Department.
Department of Education reverses course, awards Federal Executive Institute to U.Va.
By Ford McCracken | 3 days agoThe ED had previously awarded the institute to Charlottesville City Schools.
Students reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis
By Bertie Azqueta | 4 days agoAt the University, students shared a range of perspectives on his legacy of reform, inclusivity and his impact on the global Catholic community.
